Someone Who Cares
by iloveromance
Summary: During coffee with his brother at Cafe Nervosa, Niles hears some news about Daphne that has him fleeing to the Elliott Bay Towers.
1. Chapter 1

Niles walked into Café Nervosa, pleased to see that his brother had already arrived for their 10:30 coffee. It was going to be a good day. He could feel it. Already Niles had gone through two early morning appointments and both patients had shown significant promise. Niles dared to hope that by the end of the year (although December 31st was still many months away); his patients would be on the verge of major breakthroughs. And that was every psychiatrist's hope. He couldn't wait to tell Frasier. His older brother was the only one who would truly understand.

A renewed excitement filled him and he hurried into the café, eager to tell his older brother the news. But the instant his brother turned around, Niles' enthusiasm began to falter. Frasier wore an expression that Niles knew all too well. He was perturbed, which meant that any hopes of lively conversation would be impossible. However, Niles was determined not to let his brother's dismal demeanor dampen his good mood. With a smile plastered on his face, Niles went to the counter and ordered his usual drink; a half caf latte with the faintest hint of cinnamon. Taylor, the barista, smiled and handed him his drink, making him smile at the sight.

It was perfect.

"Have a nice day, Dr. Crane! It's nice to see you again!"

Perhaps it was silly, but the barista's words touched him deeply. "Thank you, Taylor. It's nice to see you too."

He carried his drink to Frasier's table and sat down. To his dismay, Frasier's mood hadn't improved since Niles had arrived just moments before. In fact, it almost seemed as though his older brother was ignoring him.

"Hello Frasier." Niles said, making sure that Frasier heard the disdain in his voice.

Slowly Frasier turned his head but when the Crane brothers made eye contact, there was no smile in greeting, nor any indication that Niles was welcome there. And how dare his brother roll his eyes as though Niles' presence was a nuisance?

"What fresh hell is this?"

Niles' mouth fell open in horror and he stiffened as a disturbing memory washed over him. Frasier had said those exact same words years ago when Niles had come to Café Nervosa to talk to Frasier about their father. He'd suffered a fall in the bathroom which led to the their father moving in with Niles which led to the hiring of a home health care worker, which led to-

"NILES!"

Startled, Niles blinked to find his brother glaring at him. "What?"

"What are you doing here?"

Taken aback by his brother's snide question, Niles cleared his throat. "Well, it is 10:30 in the morning and we do meet here for coffee EVERY DAY!" He shouted. "Are you all right?"

"No I am _not_ , Niles!" Frasier shot back.

Niles gave his older brother a satisfied grin. "Well, at least you admit it! What is with you anyway?"

Frasier exhaled, as though annoyed to no end with his little brother. But Niles could have cared less.

"All right Niles, if you must know, it's Daphne!"


	2. Chapter 2

For a moment, Niles was completely speechless, stunned by Frasier's answer. "Daphne? Frasier, what are you talking about?"

"Well, she's…"

" _What,_ Frasier? _What?"_ Niles demanded.

"She's a _kook,_ Niles! I've known it all along, since she first appeared at my doorstep!"

Niles jaw dropped and he shot to his feet. "HOW DARE YOU!"

"Niles, just… calm down!" Frasier ordered. But Niles was not fazed by his brother's words.

"No I will NOT calm down! Daphne is most certainly not a … _kook_!"

Frasier grabbed Niles' arm, forcing him to sit down. "Niles, calm down! You're making a complete fool out of yourself! Daphne is driving me crazy!"

"Don't say that!" Niles shot back. "Daphne is an absolute _angel_!"

"Well, not anymore!" Frasier replied. "For the past four days, she's done nothing but cry and sulk around the condo! She won't make dinner, lunch or breakfast for Dad and I and she just keeps herself locked in her room! I asked her to please make me something; even something simple and she flat out refused! I had a right mind to throw her out on the street!"

"YOU PARASITE!" Niles yelled. "You'll do no such thing, do you understand?"

"Niles, I'm not going to fire her, but… I had to get out of there! And I'm sure that Dad felt the same way! He's at Duke's right now! At 10:30 in the morning! I told him to stay as long as he wants!"

Now Niles was even more appalled. "You mean you and Dad just left her there? Alone?"

"She'll be fine, Niles. She's in her room and there's food in the kitchen should she get hungry, but somehow I doubt it."

"But h-how could you just-."

"It's probably something ridiculous; for what other reason would she act so strange?"

"SHE'S NOT STRANGE!" Niles yelled, knowing that his outburst was doing no good at all. But at that moment he was so angry that he couldn't think straight. "And how could you just… leave here there?"

"She'll be fine! Whatever it is… it will pass."

"How could you just leave her there? Alone?" Niles repeated, demanding an answer.

"Because, Niles… she was completely hysterical!"

Niles was livid. "And you didn't even try to console her, are you _insane_?"

"Of course I tried to console her, Niles. Or I wanted to anyway! But the moment she walked into the condo, she stormed right past Dad and I and we haven't heard a word from her since! She locked herself up in her room and is refusing to talk to anyone! I tried to talk to her, but-"

Niles rose from his seat and gulped down the rest of his beverage, wincing as the hot liquid burned his throat.

"Niles, where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here!" Niles shot back. "Goodbye, Frasier!"

"Niles, wait! Niles! NILES!" He heard his brother's voice calling to him.

But Niles was already walking to his car and he wasn't about to look back.


	3. Chapter 3

As he drove, Nile tried not to think about the encounter that he'd had with his brother. But the more he tried not to think about it, the more the thought consumed him. And the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. What in the hell was wrong with his brother and father, just leaving Daphne alone in her time of need? If she was crying all the time, as Frasier said, there was obviously something very wrong. Niles had seen Daphne cry many times before, and each time he didn't hesitate to try to comfort her. But every time he made the effort, Frasier intervened.

Well, not this time.

He pulled into the Elliot Bay parking garage and quickly shut off the engine. His heart was racing like mad and he was barely able to unfasten his seatbelt. His instinct, once the elevator doors finally opened, revealing the nineteenth floor, was to act casual. And as he rang the doorbell and took a deep breath, he hoped that his mood would remain as such. The last thing on earth he'd ever want to do is to upset her further.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and the sight made his heart shatter into a million pieces.

She stood before him, wearing her soft terrycloth robe adorned with colorful tea cups. Because she was from Manchester and so loved her English tea, the robe suited her. But he could tell that she'd owned it for years. And while it certainly seemed as though it might be comfortable, he couldn't help but noting that she deserved something nicer; so much nicer.

And then he noticed her face. Her beautiful face was now red and puffy; sure signs of what must have been an afternoon of crying. Her hair, usually perfectly styled, was disheveled and she looked as though she hadn't slept in days. If Niles hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that she'd been suffering from a case of the flu. But this was no flu. However, it was clear that something terrible had happened, for he'd never seen her so upset before. And it scared him to death.

Suddenly she spoke, breaking into his thoughts. "Oh…Dr. Crane…"

"Hello, Daphne. I just came by to-."

"He's not here." She replied abruptly. And then her tense expression softened. "I-I'll tell him that you stopped by."

"Thank you, I-."

She turned away as though having forgotten all about his presence and went to the sofa where she sat down and tucked her feet underneath her.

Even more concerned for her well-being, Niles quietly closed the door and removed his coat, walking past the sofa to hang it up. But on his way back to the front door, he paused to pet his father's beloved Jack Russell Terrier.

"Hey Eddie, how're you doing?" Niles asked, scratching the dog's soft fur. Eddie responded by barking, making Niles chuckle. "Well, I'm glad that you're-."

Suddenly a soft noise caught his attention and he looked up to see Daphne sobbing into her hands. And then he looked at Eddie. "Dear God, what's going on?"

Eddie barked loudly as though Niles could understand what he was saying. But nonetheless, Niles knew that he wasn't about to leave Daphne in this state of distress. He would never leave her. Especially now.


	4. Chapter 4

He didn't want to frighten her or upset her even further. And so he carefully moved toward the sofa and sat down beside her. The sofa cushion shifted under his weight and he was grateful that she moved over a bit to allow him more room. But he preferred to sit as close as she would let him. He reached out and put his hand on her back, dismayed when she looked away and continued to cry.

"Daphne?"

She raised her head and turned to look at him; the sadness consuming her face. "I'm sorry Dr. Crane. You must think I'm positively daft!"

"No, I would never… what's wrong?"

Instantly she began to cry harder. And when she leaned her head against his chest, his heart beat faster. He sighed deeply and put his arm around her, drawing her closer to him. He wished, oh how he wished, that he had said nothing at all. His words had only served to upset her even further. But there was no taking them back now.

"Oh Dr. Crane… he said that he doesn't love me!" she cried.

He was so stunned by her words that he could only stare at her. "H-how is that possible?"

The minute the words left his mouth he regretted them. The words were true enough but they were dangerous words; words that suggested something more. Fortunately she didn't catch onto the subtle meaning of them and simply shook her head. "I-I don't know! I-I loved him so much and I thought that he loved me! I thought…"

She cried even harder, her entire body shuddering and he found that he had no idea what to say. What could he say? She certainly wasn't one of his patents and it wasn't right to bombard her with questions. She knew him well enough to let him know when she was ready to talk. And until then he'd be there, holding her, ready to listen. But at that moment he sighed, wishing that he could take away her pain.

"I'm sorry, Daphne." He finally said. "I know it hurts."

It was something that he would have said to his patients, something meant for people he knew only on a professional level, but it seemed to resonate with her. "It hurts so badly!" she cried.

He drew her closer and rubbed her back, alarmed at what he found. "You're shaking." He held her for a few more minutes, trying desperately to calm her. And then before he realized what he'd done, he pressed his lips to her forehead. He hadn't meant to be so bold, but the touch of his lips seemed to work wonders. Her shaking ceased and when she was a bit calmer, he rose from the sofa, careful not to disturb her. "I'll be right back, okay?"

She said nothing, and instead leaned against the sofa cushion, crying softly.

As he turned to look at her, his heart ached. _Oh my love, please don't cry. If this man can't see in you the wonderful things that I see, he's not worth your time._

But his words were only a thought in his mind, never to reach her ears.


	5. Chapter 5

While the tea was keeping hot, he retreated into Frasier's bedroom where to his delight he found a soft chenille blanket folded neatly on the bed. He threw it over his shoulder and then returned to the kitchen. As he carried the pot of tea and two cups into the living room, he noticed that she was resting her face against the sofa cushion.

"Daphne?"

She looked up and gave him a sad smile as she noticed him enter the room. "You made tea."

"Cinnamon. That's your favorite, right?"

Her smile grew bigger. "You remembered."

He sat the teapot on the coffee table and smiled at her. Even in her state of distress, she was the most beautiful angel he'd ever seen. His eyes barely left her face as he poured two cups of tea and handed one to her.

"Here you are, Daphne. This should make you feel better. But be careful, it's hot."

"This is so sweet of you." She remarked, warming his heart.

"It's my pleasure. I-Oh… heavens!"

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot one thing."

She looked at him in confusion and then her eyes moved to his shoulder. "What's that?"

"Well, it's a bit chilly in here." He said, draping the chenille blanket over her shoulders. When he sat down beside her and poured his own cup of tea, she instantly seemed calmer. They sipped their tea in silence, two friends sharing a wonderful moment together. Noticing that her cup was empty, he quickly lifted the teapot. "Would you like some more?"

She nodded, brushing the tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, Dr. Crane."

He smiled, pouring her some more tea. "You're welcome, Daphne. I-."

"I mean it." She said, surprising him. "I-IO can't than you enough for this. I'm sorry I'm-."

"You've nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry that you were hurt so badly. I know what it feels like to be loved and not to be loved in return."

He lowered his head, shuddering at the irony. And when she took his hand in hers, his heart beat with new hope.

"I know you loved your wife. And I'm sorry that things didn't work out between you and Mrs. Crane."

His heart sank, but he shouldn't have been surprised. What else would she have gathered from his statement?

"When Frasier told me that you were hurting, I-."

"Frasier? You mean your brother-."

"We had coffee today, as we always do and he told me."

"Oh sod! He must hate me! I've been so awful to your brother and father lately, but I just… I don't feel like doing anything! I just wish this pain would go away!"

He gathered her into his arms once more, and let her cry on his chest. "I know… And it will… but it will take some time; perhaps a lot, maybe a little. But I'll be here for you if you need me."

"Thank you, Dr. Crane, but I still don't know why-."

"When I heard that you were hurting, I came right away."

She stared at him, as though unable to believe what he was saying. "You came all the way here just to see me?"

"You were hurting. You _are_ hurting and I just wanted you to know that someone cares."

She kissed his cheek, the indentation in his chin and finally his lips. And he was grateful that he was sitting on the sofa, for he surely would have fainted.

"I care about you too, Dr. Crane. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She hadn't told him that she loved him, or even that she was in love with him at all. And of course, although he longed to hear the words, he hadn't expected them to come.

But the words she did say touched him all the same. How was it possible that she made him fall more and more in love with her each day? He took her into his arms and held her, running his fingers through her hair. "Don't worry Daphne. You never have to worry about that. I'll be here for you, always."

She kissed his lips once more and snuggled against him. And for a moment he was almost glad that the man had broken his angel's heart. It was a cruel and selfish thought and he should have chided himself for it. But it was also a true thought. For Daphne's heartache had led him to a blissful moment, holding her in his arms.

And for that he was eternally grateful.

"Daphne, I love you. I hope you know that." He whispered, no longer caring if she rejected him or not. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Dr. Crane."

He gasped in surprise, almost euphoric at her words. But then he noticed that she had fallen asleep. Her words were spoken in a state of slumber and she most likely wouldn't ever remember even saying them. But they were words he didn't mind hearing at all. And one day, he knew that they would take on a deeper meaning, if the Gods were kind to him. For now, however, it was more than enough.

 _ **THE END**_


End file.
